Heart's Strength
by DiAnna44
Summary: Dreams haunt Lucy. Dreams since the age of five. Then she meets Natsu, a boy, also rich and with a troubled past at the age of six. However, they're set up to be married by both their parents...but they grow apart since they could not stand each other. Years later, they meet once again just when the both of them need it. Just when things started to get complicated. Eventual NaLu.
1. prologue

**[prologue]**

* * *

_The wind wouldn't stop pounding against her skin. Lucy closed her eyes; flinching from the sharp attacks she was being blown to over and over again… it went on forever. She wanted to leave this place. Why was she here? This place was hurting her, so why stay?_

_"Don't give up," a strong voice said. Lucy frowned, trying to open her eyes to see where the voice was coming from, but like always, her eyes couldn't open. She just wanted so desperately to know who talked to her…who was it that kept her going… even if…_

"Lucy, you need to wake up," her father said. Lucy's eyes snapped open and she studied her surroundings.

She was in her room, in the mansion, with her father, and her father only. There was no more "mother". That fact was still sinking in even though it's been almost a year. She didn't want to accept it.

It wasn't fair…it just wasn't fair.

"Why?" she asked as innocently as she could. She didn't want to come off as rude because who knew what her father might make her do if she did? Jude sighed, and looked down at his daughter.

Lucy was blinking up at him, waiting for his response, but all he could manage was, "You're meeting someone today. Be nice. Get dressed. Get the maids to help you. We will eat breakfast together, and exactly one hour after that our visitor will arrive and you will play nice, understand?" he asked.

His stern gaze was enough to make anyone cringe. Lucy nodded hurriedly, and sat up, pushing aside the bed covers.

_Another day in paradise_, she thought to herself grumpily. After Lucy made sure that her father was out of the room, she sighed and slumped back against the pillows.

She missed her mother.

Why did she have to die?

Why did this have to happen to Lucy?

Lucy shut her eyes tight, and as soon as she did, the dream came back to her. The same dream that she's been having since her mother died. And in every single dream, it was the same voice that kept her strong. She didn't know what it meant.

At the moment, she was half-hoping that the same strong voice would be here, in her head, to keep her strong. God knows she needed the strength…the strength to move on. The strength to _live. _

After her mother died, everything became distant, including herself.

She just did not want to lose herself. She did not want to become lost in the never-ending, tiring pain that ached in her whole mind, body, and soul.

So…she became lost in books already…only at the age of almost seven years old. The books kept her from being reminded of the "duties to come" of being a daughter of the Heartfilia's. Plus, they all in all just made her happy.

So now she was a bookworm, on the borderline of a wannabe author. She wasn't the type to like the visitors that came over…sure they gave her lots of things, like shoes, dresses, purses, toys, but that didn't matter anymore. They were just things to accept and act like it would fill the void in her heart.

It just…didn't matter.

"I wonder who's coming over today…" Lucy mused to herself, finally pushing herself out of bed with a loud grunt. She never called on the maids…she didn't like the fact that they had maids, but they came anyways. So, when her own, personal maid, Rain, came rushing in, Lucy wasn't surprised.

Lucy watched with dry amusement as Rain rushed about the room, ordering things that weren't out of order. Lucy wondered if Rain even liked her…as a person. She must get tired of taking care of her.

"Rain…do you like me as a person? Please answer truthfully," Lucy said. Rain stiffened, and turned towards Lucy. Rain looked surprised at first, but finally she just smiled.

"Yes Miss Lucy, I do like you as a person, and in case you were wondering, I do not mind taking care of you. I feel that it is my duty, and I want to take care of you…especially since your mother has passed awa—" Rain stopped talking and her eyes widened with horror at what she just said."I am so sorry Miss Lucy…I didn't mean to bring up more memories. Forgive me," Rain pleaded, bowing down a little. Lucy sat there on the bed, watching her swinging legs.

"Please just stop it. I want you to treat me normally…and it's okay. Really it is. My mom passed away. I know that…I know that she's…gone," Lucy mumbled.

Rain closed her eyes, still in horror at what she had said, but in the end she gave a small nod and continued to clean murmuring a small,

"Thank you dearie."

Lucy stood up, and walked towards the bathroom. Usually the maids would help her get dressed, but she had insisted that they treat her like an adult and the first step to doing that was that she had to get dressed by herself.

Lucy knew she could do it.

She was strong.

Hopefully she would be strong enough to undergo the pleasantries of whoever was visiting this time.

* * *

Natsu sat in the car, arms crossed, as he glared out the window. Being a child of only eight, he was still one who could scare the living daylights out of you. Most avoided him when he was like this, but his adopted father only laughed.

"You're stubborn you know…" he chuckled. Natsu threw him a glare, pounding his fists together. He's only been with his new father for ten months, after his real father went suddenly missing after his mother died.

After his mother died, everything was a blur. He would talk to his father, but it was as if his father never heard him.

Sometimes, he would just pour all of his sorrows into drinking, and drink the night away. Natsu hated his father for that, but of course…he still loved him.

However, almost exactly three years ago, his father went missing. He was just…gone. No word, no whisper, no letter. There was just…nothing.

When Natsu had woken up to find his father gone, he realized that he wanted nothing more in the world than for him to stay with him.

He _needed_ his father. His father was also one of the only things he had left of his mother. He barely remembered his mother, but sometimes fragments of memories would sear through this mind and rip apart his sanity ever so slowly.

He thought he had been going insane…at age five no less.

After his father left, Natsu was put with all sorts of relatives. An aunt he never met before…an aunt that abandoned him just like his father. A distant cousin who was too caught up in her own stupid life to take care of another's.

So finally, here he was, under the care of one of his father's friends, Makarov.

Natsu just did not know what to think about this one.

Makarov was strange, and way too short for any old man, yet when he walked he had this strong aura come off of him.

Plus, the man was filthy rich.

Apparently he owned a chain of businesses where people would request jobs and he'd get them all done, no matter what. It did not matter how hard these missions were, or what they might require; Makarov always sent the right people, and those right people would get the job done, and voila!

There was more money in his pocket now.

Natsu thought that he was a true enigma, and he wondered if he would ever stop being surprised at what he did. When Natsu had told him of his plans to find his father and beat the living hell out of him, Makarov just laughed and actually encouraged him. However, he said before he beat him up, he should give his father a large hug just to confuse him of what would come next.

Natsu shook his head as he continued to peer over the window of the car.

He was going to the Heartfilia residence…wherever that was. His father, well…adopted father, had just smiled at him and told him that he was likely to be smiling when he left today.

Natsu wondered why, but that was the only reason he had agreed to come without his usual kicking and screaming.

He was curious.

The drive was a long one, but finally after a dreadfully long hour and a half, they had arrived.

Finally.

They had arrived at the Heartfilia residence.

* * *

Lucy stared out the window, watching as the sleek, black car arrived. It came slowly and finally it parked in their grand driveway. Lucy didn't know why…but she was nervous.

She was terribly nervous.

"Lucy, are you presentable?" her father asked, walking into the foyer, straightening his tie. Lucy only nodded, keeping her eyes on the car. The door opened suddenly, and Lucy shut her eyes.

Lucy stepped down from the windowsill and trailed after her father. Lucy screwed her hands together in a tight knot, trying to calm herself down. She still didn't understand why she was so nervous.

"Chin up Lucy," he father said. Lucy nodded, focusing her eyes everywhere but the door. She knew that they were going to come through that door any minute now.

The doorbell rang and before the doorman could answer, Lucy had rushed forward and opened it herself. She needed to face whatever was making her so nervous.

When she opened the door she was everything but not surprised. Instead of the big, bad wolf she had been expecting, she was faced with a boy who instead…looked just a but older than her, with his hand still held in the air ready knock once more. And the weirdest thing was…

"You have _pink _hair!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing at the mess that he called hair. Natsu stared at her, eyes wide. To him…she looked like an angel, but after he realized what the girl had said, he started to fume. _Smiling_ when he left?! Yeah right! She was already upsetting him!

"It's salmon!" he said. Lucy looked him over, and raised her eyebrows, studying his hair once more. She shook her head, pursing her lips.

"Nuh uh. That is _pink. _I'm a girl so I know this," she stated, crossing her arms. Natsu puffed out his cheeks angry. Neither one of them noticed the two adults watching them- Jude, who was angry, and Makarov who was nothing short of amused.

Before the two got into a full-scale argument, Makarov broke in and said, "Move along. Get inside already. You two do not even know each other's names, but that can be introduced in due time…once we get _inside._"

Lucy stepped aside, and Makarov, pushing Natsu in, walked in as well. Finally, Natsu and Lucy stood and just stared at each other.

It was Natsu who spoke up first, due to the small, unnoticeable kick that Makarov gave him.

"I'm Natsu, and I am eight years old," he said, rolling the introduction his adopted father had taught him not hours before. Lucy frowned at him and stuck her hand out saying,

"My name is Lucy. I am almost seven years old, and I have normal-colored hair."

Natsu fumed, but before he could go off, Makarov stopped him with a stern nod. Natsu nodded, abashed, and took the hand.

Both children shook.

What they didn't know…was what they were shaking too.

* * *

**_*Greetings. I thank you for reading this story. Haha I'm so formal. Well...I started this story even though I already have too many going on right now. I am so sorry, but inspiration strikes, you know? _**

**_Anyways, please leave a review. I appreciate them greatly. _**

**_Bai guys._**

**_-DiAnna44 :)_**

My Fanfiction Twitter Account- **/TheDiAnna44#**

My FanFiction Facebook Page- **DiannaFanFictionWriter**


	2. chapter one

**[chapter one]**

* * *

_"Make it stop," she whispered, pounding at the door. Her words were not granted any response except for the continuous wind that has been plaguing her dreams since the age of six. _

_"Please…please make it stop. It hurts…" she pleaded as tears pricked at her eyes. She waited for the voice that always came…every time…it came to lift her free. _

_"Please!" she begged, still pounding her hands against the door as the wind stung at her skin. Blood was starting to rise up and some dripped from her face. Everything hurt…she just wanted it to stop…please…she just wanted it to stop. _

_Her legs gave out and she fell to the knees with her hands still against the door that would just not open. The wind was picking up speed and she wondered where the voice was. Where was it? Wasn't it…late…?_

_"Stand up. You have to stand up…stand __**up!"**_

_It was back. Her savior voice. Finally…finally she was free once more from the nightmares that plagued her almost every night. _

_"Thank you," she whispered as the wind ceased. Her fingers gripped the door handle and she pushed against it, opening it just a bit letting some light come in…she smiled and—_

As always Lucy woke with a start. She blinked, adjusting to the light streaming in from the small openings in the curtains. Her head turned and there was a loud popping noise from her neck. Lucy groaned as she sat up, rubbing at her neck.

_It's still all the same routine, _she thought miserably, bringing her feet down from the bed so that she was touching the cold ground.

She stared at the ground, trying to figure out why she had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach…and then it hit her.

Exactly twelve years ago, her mother passed away.

Today was the twelfth anniversary of her mother's death.

Lucy hated that it was called an anniversary. She had always associated anniversaries with happy things like weddings and special occasions…_not_ with deaths that tore apart one's life.

Tears pricked at her eyes but she forced them back.

No.

She promised herself six years ago that she would no longer cry.

She had to be _strong._

"Miss Lucy?"

Lucy's head snapped up and her gaze met with her long time personal maid, Rain.

"Good morning Rain," Lucy said, forcing a smile and standing up. Rain's gaze trailed to the floor, and Lucy suspected that Rain knew what today was. Of course she knew. She loved Layla as well.

"Good morning Miss Lucy…I have set the bath for you already, and when you're in it I will organize your chambers," she said.

Lucy sighed, always and forever hating the formality Rain showed her no matter how many times she told her not to do it. She suspected it was because Rain was afraid of what would happen to her if Jude, Lucy's father, caught her.

Lucy only nodded and walked towards the bathroom with a breathless hush of a "thank you Rain". Rain smiled sadly and soon got to work. Yes…she knew what day it was. She just started cleaning.

* * *

"Lucy, today your studies will be shorter because today we are going to have a visitor," Jude informed Lucy at the table during breakfast.

Lucy sighed, and nodded. She heard these words at least twice a week. This week, it was the third time a visitor would be coming.

There were always so many visitors…every since _then._

Her father never told her to her face, but after a while of meeting boys always within five years of her age, she began to suspect why she was forced to meet each and every visitor.

They were all possible candidates for marriage.

She was curious, however, as to why she had to meet them. Lucy knew that even if she disliked a certain man, if her father thought him as a worthy heir to the Heartfilia throne, he would arrange it, regardless of Lucy's wishes.

So far, none of the men have particularly appealed to her, and she held no special feelings towards any of them…that is… except _him. _

_Natsu Dragneel_, she thought with a grimace. Yes, her feelings towards him were clear indeed.

She _hated _Natsu.

She absolutely, and utterly completely _loathed_ him.

He's only ever visited six times over the past eleven to twelve years, but each time just got worse and worse.

They just could not _stand each other. _

If there were ever two individuals who could just not get along any less, it was _them. _

He hated her, and she hated him.

That's all there was to it. She did like Makarov…she thought of him as a funny old man who seemed to be always smiling, unlike her stern father. She would trade her father for Makarov any day, and that was another reason she hated Natsu.

She didn't think that he appreciated him as much as he should be and yeah she was a little jealous he got such an amazing guardian, but that was just one of the reasons!

Before Lucy could go on a rant in her head about all the reasons she hated Natsu, he father broke in.

"Today's guest is Dan Straight and he comes from a prestigious family who owns a franchise of restaurants. Not a very noble business, but he has enough money to be considered for well…I think you should know by now," he said before taking another bite of his eggs.

Lucy stared at her food, keeping still.

She wanted to say so much…of how much she didn't want to get married, how much she wished she was just a normal girl, and how much she just wanted to travel the world and discover what she wanted to be in her life, but all that could come out was, "Yes Father."

She was pathetic.

Jude nodded, pleased with her answer as always, and once again the silence came.

Lucy hated it.

* * *

"Hahahaha! You deserved it! Hahahaha!" Natsu laughed as he dodged the second pan. The head cook, Mistress Lei, continued to scream at him, throwing with all her might.

"You uncultured, spoiled brat! Get back here and clean this up! I don't care who you are and I don't care that your adoptive father in my boss! You get over here right now and pick all of this up!" With one more throw of, this time, a pot, Natsu started to laugh harder. He picked up a tomato lying near the table and picked up, grinning widely.

"Sorry…" he started to say, edging back with careful, deliberate steps, "I gotta run this one errand and well see you!"

He threw the tomato right at the wall behind Mistress Lei, surprising her and making her even more infuriated.

Natsu took the chance to escape out the kitchen window and towards the gardens. Mistress Lei rushed towards the window, with some of the tomato that splattered on her after hitting the wall and screeched at her loudest, "GET BACK HERE NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

Natsu just kept running with a huge smile on his face.

* * *

Natsu was trying to stay firm in regretting nothing. Makarov, his adoptive father, was, at the moment, lecturing him on being a proper man while a smirking Mistress Lei stood in the background, arms crossed.

"I expect you to clean the whole kitchen, top to bottom, and oh…don't forget the place where the _tomato_ hit," Makarov informed him sternly. Natsu just nodded, ashamed and determined to keep his inner wits.

"I only did it because—" Natsu started to say, but Makarov didn't let him continue.

"I don't care _why_ you did it. I care about the fact that you are almost a twenty-year old still behaving like a six year old!" he exclaimed.

"You didn't even know me when I was six," Natsu grumbled. Makarov frowned.

"Just clean it Natsu, and then I want to see you after you're done in here. Do you understand?" he asked. Natsu pursed his lips, refusing to answer, but when Makarov's glare only hardened, a reluctant nod came from Natsu.

"Fine," he said, turning to leave.

Natsu quickly left the room, and Makarov watched with a grim expression on his face.

"Are you ready for marriage Natsu?" he wondered aloud.

He was worried about it, but he was more worried if Natsu was prepared to take care of someone else, when he still couldn't take care of himself.

* * *

Lucy was at a crossroads between deciding if Natsu annoyed her even more than Dan, or if it was the other way around.

Her decision was actually leaning towards Dan being the more annoying one.

Lucy, however, couldn't just get up and leave, and so far she's "gone to the bathroom" five times this entire visit. The good thing was, Lucy was sure her father didn't like Dan all that much either.

"Your beauty is of one that not even the oceans could describe its size!" Dan exclaimed with a very, very wide smile on his face.

Lucy scrunched up her nose at the weird wording of that sentence. However, she just smiled and let him continue ramble on.

Jude was watching from down the table with a hidden distaste that only those who knew him well could identify.

"I'm sure that we will have a wonderful life and it will just be wondrous! I will be anything you want Lucy darling including…." Lucy completely zoned out, focusing on nothing of great importance.

Right now she'd rather study the tiles on the floor than listen to all of this ridiculousness.

"Excuse me Dan but I'm afraid I need to use the restroom once again," Lucy cut in, standing up. Dan stopped talking and kept that enormously large smile on his face.

"Sure thing! I'll be waiting for you when until you get back! In fact I would wait forever for you! I'm sure that your father and I could have a good time talking!" he suggested, turning towards Jude who looked absolutely horrified. Lucy smiled in spite of herself.

"Yes, I'm sure you could," she said, before escaping from him and his endless smiles.

Lucy headed, at first, in the direction of the bathroom, but as soon as she was out of sight she bee lined towards her room. She needed a break.

She needed a break from everything really.

* * *

When she finally returned to the dining hall, she was surprised to see Dan gone. Her father was just closing the door with a fake smile on his face, and Lucy stood, frozen.

"What happened?" she asked, pleased. Jude huffed.

"His father came to pick him up early. Apparently something urgent happened and it required Dan's assistance…thank heavens. I did not like that young man. He was too irresponsible and too talkative. I think it is safe to assume that we will never see him again. Well not that it really matters anymore since everything's already been planned…" Lucy stiffened.

What did he mean by that?

Jude walked back to his chair and took a seat, making sure he had Lucy's undivided attention.

"Lucy…I think you know what all of those visitors were for…and I think it's time I finally told you who I think is best suited to become your husband and heir to this corporation," he said.

Lucy could not move…she was terrified of the answer and she was terrified of what she might not say.

"So…he will visit once more and at the time we will arrange everything. We also plan to go public about it in almost two weeks time."

Lucy noted how her father was obviously trying to avoid telling her who it was, but she wouldn't let him get away to easily.

"Who is it?" she whispered, terrified.

She didn't want this.

She didn't want to be married at only the age of eighteen.

She didn't _want_ this, but of course…she couldn't tell her father.

She could never bring herself to tell her father how she felt about all of this. She didn't know why. She just couldn't.

Jude sighed at her question.

"You will be marrying Natsu Dragneel. He is the best candidate out of—"

"No! Please! Anybody but him!" Lucy protested before he could go on.

It was the unthinkable!

Out of every single man he father liked, why did it have to be the one she hated the most?

Jude frowned at her protesting.

"You will not argue with me young lady. You _will_ marry into the Dragneel enterprise. It's been settled since the first day you two met, but it wasn't _quite_ official just then. However, Makarov and I have finally talked it over and we both think it best that you two are to be married. Plus, it will be a great advantage towards both of our corporations."

Lucy wanted to cry.

_She didn't want this_.

_This wasn't fair._

All her life she did as she was told, and no matter how much she knew she should fight back now, she didn't.

Instead, she didn't utter a single word as she stood up and left the room, without bothering to even look at her father. Her father didn't protest at her actions.

He knew she had accepted it, or that in time she would.

_It's for the best_, he thought.

* * *

"FUCK NO!" Natsu exclaimed, standing up abruptly causing the chair to fall over.

It was noon and he after he had finally finished cleaning the kitchen he went straight back towards the main hall like his stepfather had asked. Then Makarov sat him down and told him. He didn't sugarcoat it either.

He simply said, "You are going to be marrying Lucy Heartfilia."

Natsu ran a hand through his hair, irritated and incredulous. He could not believe that this was happening.

"She's a little brat! A spoiled know-it-all bitch! I don't want to marry her and I sure as hell think she doesn't want to marry me, so _NO!" _Natsu continued to say.

Makarov was not in the mood today. He just stood up, groaning a little bit as his muscles loosened.

"You're going to marry her Natsu, and that's all I'm going to say. Sorry kid, but it's final."

And with those few words, he left. Natsu stared at his disappearing form, pissed off beyond belief.

Finally, he slammed another chair down and stormed out of the room while screaming at his fullest, "I DO NOT WANT TO MARRY LUCY HEARTFILIA!"

* * *

**_*Review please? Oh and HAPPY THANKSGIVING! :)_**

**_Bai guys._**

**_-DiAnna44 :)_**

My Fanfiction Twitter Account- **/TheDiAnna44#**

My FanFiction Facebook Page- **DiannaFanFictionWrite**


	3. chapter two

**[chapter two]**

* * *

_"Help me," Lucy whispered against the floor tiles as the wind kept pounding against her skin. "Help me…" she continued to plead. Tears flowed from her eyes, hitting the ground dramatically and slowly. "Please…." _

_"It's going to be okay," a voice cried out. Immediately, the wind ceased and Lucy managed a smile through her tears. _

_"You're here," she said, overwhelmed with her own happiness. Finally, she was safe again…she was safe…_

Lucy wanted to keep her eyes close this time.

These dreams were special, the ones where she felt nothing but safe. The feeling rarely came to her when she was awake, so as her head pressed against her pillow, she wished for nothing then to go back to sleep. Sadly, her wishes went ignored.

The dream, however, wasn't the only reason she wanted to stay in bed.

_Natsu freaking Dragneel_, she thought glumly, sitting up while rubbing her head. She was meeting him for the last time today before they would get married.

_I hate this,_ she thought, clutching the pillow to herself. Vaguely, she noticed Rain come in to start her daily cleaning, but Lucy dutifully ignored her. She just didn't want to deal today…why did she have to _deal_ every single day? _Why?_

Rain said something to her that sounded suspiciously like a suggestion for a warm bath. Lucy only nodded and stood up, trudging towards the bathroom. Just like every day.

_When will this end,_ Lucy thought as she shut the bathroom door, still clutching the pillow, with one last glance at Rain.

* * *

"Don't you dare try to fucking wake me up," Natsu grumbled into his pillow as his longtime nursemaid, Mira, bent to shake him awake. She stilled, and smiled.

"Good. You're up. Get dressed and then go see your father," she said. Natsu groaned and buried himself even more into the cushions.

"Tell him I'm dead," he moaned. Mira scowl-smiled (only she can do that) and pulled off his covers, making him curl up into a tiny ball.

"You're _going_ to be if you don't get up," she threatened. Natsu stilled at her words, but finally, and reluctantly, got out of bed.

"Can't wait to face another fucking day," Natsu mumbled to himself as he headed towards his closet.

Mira only laughed as she left the room and closed the door before the pillow would hit her. No matter how many times he's tried, Natsu's never managed to actually hit her with the pillow. Was his aim really that terrible?

It bothered Natsu to no low end, but like every day he ignored it and continued on. He was so sick of the endless routine of the mornings at the Dragneel residence. Little did he know, a certain blonde had the exact same issue.

* * *

"He will be here in five hours time," Jude Heartfilia told his daughter as she took a bite of her breakfast. He watched her visibly blanch.

Lucy quickly chewed her food and then asked as sweetly as possible, "How come the suitors always come over here? How come we don't go and visit their place? I've met with Natsu, what…six times, and every time, it's always _him_ that comes over_ here_. Why is that?"

Jude just stared at her with a gaze that completely said that he felt no reason to respond since it doesn't even matter. Lucy stared back, unflinching, fork held in air. Jude sighed.

"The suitors always came over to our residence because it is a sign of respect for the woman. It is considered indecent for the woman and her guardians to be the ones to travel such a long ways just to meet one suitor," he said, matter-of-factly.

Lucy contained her snort, and instead just focused her gaze back down at her over easy eggs.

_This isn't fair, _thought Lucy. She just wanted to have her life. She just wanted to _live_ her life. So why was that so hard? Why was it so hard? Why did it have to be so hard?

* * *

"I don't want to marry her," Natsu grumbled, with his arms crossed tightly around his body. Makarov sighed.

"You're marrying her and that's that," he said, eyes fixed on the road. Natsu swore as he looked out the window.

"This isn't fair," Natsu mumbled under his breath. Makarov sighed once again.

"This is getting annoying kid," Makarov said.

"Shut up," Natsu retorted. "If this was you, you'd be reacting the same way, so shut it old man." Makarov laughed but stayed silent otherwise.

"You'll be just fine Natsu. Lucy's a good person and so are you," he finally said. Natsu glared at him.

"Whatever," he muttered. He focused his gaze back out of the window, wishing that he could just go home.

* * *

Lucy watched with contempt as the car drove into the driveway.

She knew who was coming out this time, which did not make her at all happy. The doors opened and she immediately saw the pink, spikey hair that she still didn't understand even after all of these years. Makarov soon followed him, and before she knew it the nicest man and the most evil boy were ringing her doorbell.

Lucy stood back from the window and situated herself in the foyer, ready to greet _one_ of her guests with a smile. As Rain opened the door, immediately she could hear Natsu's annoying voice.

"-can't you just tell them that I died or something? Please old man? Anything to stop me from seeing the brat…_please_. I'll do anything. I'll be good for like…a while…please? I don't want to see Lucy Heartfili—" Natsu cut off as he noticed the door was open.

Lucy glared at him. She glanced around quickly, seeing if her father was nearby and when she saw that he wasn't she said, "Well I don't want to see _you_ either Pinky." She heard Rain gasp, but besides that she remained her composure.

The two guests walked inside and Natsu returned her glare.

"Don't fucking call me that," he told her. Lucy was about to respond, but this time Makarov cut in.

"Natsu! Do _not_ curse in front of a lady, _especially_ Lucy," he scolded. Natsu looked away, somewhat abashed. Lucy smirked at him before turning to Makarov and saying, "No, it's okay Mr. Dragneel. It was my fault for egging him on, and it was his fault for falling for it. We'll do better next time."

Makarov only smiled and pretended not to notice the glint in her eyes. He looked around, searching.

"And pray tell where is Jude?" he asked.

"Right here," Lucy's father said, joining the conversation as he held out a hand to shake, "Makarov…been a long time hasn't it? It's always good to see you."

"Yes it is. Do you want to discuss the marriage in private?" Both participants of the "marriage" flinched at the word, but both fathers ignored them.

"Yes that sounds like a great idea," Jude said, "and I'll trust my daughter to keep pleasant company for your son here." He looked pointedly at Lucy who just nodded slightly, and Natsu had to contain his scoff.

Soon, the two men were walking away leaving Natsu and Lucy together, alone. Both remained quiet. Lucy watched as Natsu looked around, ignoring her. She scowled.

"I don't want to marry you," she finally said. Natsu's gaze snapped towards her.

"And I don't want to marry you either."

"Well at least we agree on something," she stated, a little irritated. Natsu's lips tugged upwards as he heard the irritation in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess," he muttered looking down at his shoes. Lucy raised an eyebrow at his response, but besides that made no comment.

_Well this is awkward_, both Lucy and Natsu thought.

What could they say?

They were going to get _married_ and that's that. There's no question about it so what could one say in a situation like this besides what they think about the marriage? And both have already said how they feel which is they don't want it. They don't _want_ to get married, but they knew they would. It was out of their control.

They were to be married.

"This sucks," Natsu finally said, relaxing. He sat down in one of the "fancy chairs" as he called them. Lucy followed suit and nodded.

"Yup…so…what are we going to do Pinky? About the whole marriage thing?" she asked. Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"What else? We'll get married…" he said. Lucy sighed. That really wasn't what she meant.

"No…I mean what about kids? Our fathers definitely want us to have kids to like keep the family businesses going, you know?" she said. Natsu flinched at her words.

"Oh," he said. "Yeah, this _really_ sucks." Lucy just forced a smile at his words.

"This isn't really fair, isn't it?" she asked.

"Life isn't fair. At least, that's what I've been told," he responded. Lucy could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, but she forced them back. She would not cry here, especially not in front of him. She had to remain strong.

"Yeah…huh. Guess it isn't is it?" she agreed.

Silence followed, and finally Lucy couldn't handle it. She stood up before the tears started to come down at an even faster rate and rushed to her room. She heard Natsu's startled surprise but she completely ignored him.

Running up to her room, she locked the door and ran to her bed.

_Damn them. Damn Father and what he will think of my actions… damnit…_ she thought as she buried her face into the pillow.

The pillow brought here nothing but comfort and safety and that is exactly what she needed to feel right now. Her eyes drifted shut and before she knew it she had fallen deep into the abyss of dreams.

* * *

Natsu did not know how to react to what just happened.

He had just watched Lucy's disappearing form vanish up the staircase and he stood there, eyes wide with a small "O" as his mouth. He swore that he saw tears from Lucy, but he still didn't know what to do about it.

He had never seen her cry or anything remotely close to that.

Every time they would converse they just irritated and insulted each other. So how should he react? Finally, he decided to stay put and he sat back down. After all, it really wasn't his business (yet) with what went on in the princess's head.

He looked around the mansion, admiring the view once again. He liked the place, but he would never admit that. That was mainly because he didn't like Jude and he didn't really like Lucy…obviously. He did like their maids and he liked the mansion, but that's about it.

"Mr. Dragneel? Where is Miss Lucy?"

Natsu's gaze snapped towards the right where he saw a bordering-on-old lady with a smile on her face. He's seen her before and she was nice to him. He couldn't remember her name though but…wait…what did she say?

"What?" he asked, wanting her to repeat what she said. Rain smiled at him.

"I asked what Miss Lucy was," she repeated, all smiles.

"Oh. Sorry. Uhm…well she sort of took off…she like ran up those stairs and just didn't come back…." Natsu trailed off unsure of what to add to that.

Should he mention that she might be crying?

He decided against it.

After all, if it was said that she was crying the lady might bother her or even worse…tell his dad who would no doubt blame him. So, he didn't tell her. He watched the lady (Rain- he still couldn't remember her name) purse her lips and nod.

"I am sorry about my mistress's behavior, Mr. Dragneel. She…no I mustn't tell. Thank you Mr. Dragneel," she says as she heads in the same area that Lucy rushed off towards.

Natsu still doesn't know how to respond.

So instead he just continues sitting there, playing with his fingers until someone comes and releases him from this purgatory.

"I want to go home…." he mumbled, before finally he leans back and drifts off into a dreamless sleep just like his betrothed.

* * *

_**Hey guys. Happy New Year. I hope your year is filled with nothing short of happiness. And here you go, this updated chapter just to celebrate...I'm curious...any of you watch Sherlock because if you do ARE YOU AS EXCITED AS I AM? Sorry...this whole day I have been freaking out. Anyways...I want you all to listen to something on tumblr (the link is in my profile- it's the first link...please listen to it).**_

_**Anyways thank you so much for reading this story and...**_

_**have a great year and**_

_**Bai guys. :)**_

_**-DiAnna44**_

My FanFiction Facebook Page- **DiannaFanFictionWriter**

My Tumblr- **animeismyfuckinglife**


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